The present invention relates to a washing and/or drying device according to the preamble of Claim 1.
In the framework of the present description, a washing and/or drying device is to be understood as a device like a washstand or sink unit, a bidet, toilet, urinal, a bathtub, a shower stall and/or a drying device for contactless hand drying. Washstands and sink units and drying devices of this type are used in plumbing units of all types, for body care in bathrooms, for example, for washing purposes in kitchens, for cleaning purposes in semi-public and public sanitary facilities such as toilets and shower rooms, as well as in laboratories, the food industry, homes for the elderly and convalescent, and hospitals. Depending on the use, porcelain, stoneware, stone, particularly natural stone such as marble, plastic, enameled sheet metal and chromed sheet steel are typical as materials for basins for installing or mounting washing devices of this type; modern basins are occasionally made of opaque plastics such as Corian and of transparent or translucent materials such as acrylic, glass, or Quaryl. Metals, such as lacquered and/or enameled sheet metal or even bare chromed sheet steel, are known above all as materials for housings of drying devices of the type cited.
It is to be noted here that the concept of fresh water in the framework of the present description is to be understood as cold and/or hot water flowing into the basin and the concept of dirty water is to be understood as water flowing out of the basin, including the additives contained therein.
The washing devices typically comprise a basin and a supply armature and typically also have a drain armature. The basin is delimited by a basin wall and is attachable to a structure or a building wall. The supply armature, which is generally referred to as a faucet, has a connecting piece, via which the fresh water reaches the basin. The connecting piece is connected to a building supply line for the fresh water; the fresh water is supplied to the basin from a tank or a network. Furthermore, the supply armature contains a shut-off member, which is movable and/or rotatable or displaceable between a closed setting and at least one open setting using an actuating element such as a control knob or lever. In the closed setting, the supply of fresh water to the basin is suppressed, in the open setting(s), the fresh water may reach the basin through the connecting piece at a greater or lesser flow rate. The supply armature is preferably attached in a first opening of the basin wall. The dirty water is preferably drained via a second opening, in which at least one drain armature is mounted, into a drain line. The drain armature typically includes a stench trap, which is usually referred to as a siphon.
The typical washing devices described above are subject to numerous disadvantages, which are more or less significant depending on their intended purpose. In particular, it is disadvantageous for various reasons, such as the danger of damage due to vandalism, and the comfort of use and cleaning, that the armatures, which are mounted on the edge region of the cavity of the basin, project into the inside of the basin.
Practical vandal-safe washing devices are known, which are used above all in washrooms of industrial operations. They have round basins, accessible from all sides, made of chromed sheet steel, which contain a column in their center, clad with chromed sheet steel and projecting well over the edge of the basin, in which the supply line of the fresh water is positioned. The column has openings in its upper region through which the fresh water flows out. However, this washing device is only suitable for cases in which a certain number of persons always use it simultaneously, since individual control of the water supply is not provided.
A practical vandal-safe drinking water dispenser, actually a fountain, in which a connecting piece for supplying the drinking water is integrated into the lowest point of the basin wall, is also known. Drinking water flows through the connecting piece in small quantities, i.e., upward in a thin stream, in such a way that the stream extends somewhat above the upper edge of the basin. The actual basin, which is concave upward, is largely covered by a hood outside the stream region, in order to prevent improper usage of the drinking water dispenser. The drinking water is supplied continuously, neither the quantity of drinking water over time nor its temperature may be controlled by the user of the drinking fountain.
A washing device according to the species, which functions automatically without the user having to touch any part of the device, is known from WO 93/10311. In this case, two sensors determine the presence of the hands to be washed and initiate a cleaning process controlled via a time relay. However, the user may not change the time sequence of the admission of wetting water, cleaner, and washing water, nor is he able to adjust the water requirements to his needs.
Therefore, it has been determined that no washing devices, particularly in the form of washstands and sink units, are known which ensure both sufficient security from vandalism and which also are optimally designed in regard to production, cleaning possibilities, and economic water consumption, but particularly also in regard to hygiene and comfort in use. A corresponding determination may also be made in regard to drying devices.